Pope Eugene II (Latin: Eugenius II) was Pope from June 6, 824 to his death in 827. A native of Rome, he was chosen to succeed Paschal I. Another candidate, Zinzinnus, was proposed by the plebeian faction, and the presence of Lothair I, son of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious, was necessary in order to maintain the authority of the new pope. Lothair took advantage of this opportunity to redress many abuses in the papal administration, to vest the election of the pope in the nobles, and to confirm the statute that no pope should be consecrated until his election had the approval of the Frankish emperor.
Pope Eugene convened a council at Rome in 826 to address matters of church discipline. The practice of simony was condemned and untrained clergy were to be suspended until they had improved their knowledge to carry out their sacred duties. It was decreed that schools were to be established at cathedral churches and other places to give instruction in sacred and secular literature. |